Thanks SiriGallia. I appreciate it. Qui-Gon, to me, has never been able to figure out what a joke is defined as. Even in Episode I, Obi-Wan was trying to joke with Qui-Gon. Did we hear any laughter? He's just a big stick in the mud.

In any case, I'm staying at my Grandma's house and she's just been recently hooked up to the net by yours truly along with a friend of mine. I hope to have another post up tonight or tomorrow morning.

Personally, I think Qui-Gon does have a sense of humour, a very subtle, dry kind of humour that you might miss if you weren't careful, but which could reduce you to helpless laughter if you did get it. But never mind my opinion, just get on with the oompa oompa oompa-di-di--I mean the story.

The parachute is a very delicate subject. It must be handled carefully. No clues from me about the parachute.

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"Good morning, Oyclah. Is the emperor expecting you?"

"Good morning, Jurah. I have brought the Jedi to see the emperor."

Oyclah had led the Jedi through alleyways and sidestreets and they had finally arrived at the palace. You wouldn't have known anyone of importance lived there because the exterior of the building was falling apart.

Obi-Wan wondered why the emperor would choose to live in such a rundown, little shack. At all the other worlds he and Qui-Gon had visited, the leaders were held in high esteem and were adorned with power and riches.

Obi-Wan wormed his way through the entrance and was shocked at what he beheld. The ceilings were just high enough so that he could stand while his master had to duck and try to avoid the light fixtures.

He couldn't understand why the Chrestarians would not have made preparations for another species to arrive. Anyone besides Ewoks and trolls would need taller ceilings. Then it clicked. The planet had been closed off to anyone outside the atmosphere. The Chrestarians built their homes to suit their needs.

Obi-Wan lookedaround the room. The floor had a lush green carpet running down the center of the room with intricate designs embroidered into it. The walls were a golden color with pillars made out of the same material as the crates in the spaceport.

"This way." said Oyclah.

Oyclah led the Jedi through a set of doors at the end of the room into another room with the same walls designs. There was a long table in the center of the room with a numerous amount of chairs placed around it and a very tall chair at the head of the table. Seated in that chair was the Chrestarian Obi-Wan assumed was the emperor.

"Good morning Jedi." the emperor said, "I assume you are Qui-Gon Jinn and you are Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Yes, your majesty."Qui-Gon replied.

"I am emperor Tobruk. Would you care to dine with me?""Certainly." replied Qui-Gon.

Obi-Wan was glad. His stomach had been growling when they exited the spaceport and that was hours ago.

Obi-Wan tried to squish himself into one of the chairs, but to no avail. Obviously they weren't made for people his size. Obi-Wan looked at Qui-Gon expecting him to be having the same problem. Instead he found Qui-Gon had moved the chair out from the table and was sitting on the floor giving Obi-Wan a sly, little grin. Obi-Wan blushed and then followed his master's example.

A female Chrestarian entered through a side door carrying a tray piled with bowls and a large bowl in the center.

"Mmm. Smells good." said Obi-Wan.

The girl's face turned an even deeper purple which Obi-Wan assumed meant she was blushing. At least he was not the only one to have been embarrassed this morning.

"Chulak is a specialty on our panet. We serve it only on special occassions. I assume this is such an event." the emperor explained.

The girl dished out the Chulak and set it in front of the four men. Obi-Wan stared in horror. This was a delicacy? It looked exactly like gruel and smelled even worse.

//Yoda should have come on this mission.// Obi-Wan thought. //He'd be able to fit through the doors and stomach this.//

"Eat up!" said the emperor excitedly as he dove into his own dish.

Obi-Wan lifted the spoon to his lips and tried not to choke as the stuff slid down his throat.

*******

Sorry the last post ended so funny. It was supposed to be both this one and the one before combined. Unfortunately, my typing was interupted for dinner so I couldn't complete it.

Tune in next week for more exciting adventures of "Master, I forgot the parachute..."

Hey guys!! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I just got back to school and back to internet access. I hope this post makes up for it, although personally, I don't think it's that great. I was writing it at 12:30 at night.

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"You were quiet after the meal, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon remarked. He had been shocked at his padawan's sudden change in behavior, but already knew the cause. He only said it to start a conversation, nothing more.

After their meal was completed, Qui-Gon and Emperor Tobruk had had a lengthy conversation. Obi-Wan had sat on the floor quietly staring at the walls or following the pattern in the floor trying to fid his way through it as if it were a maze.

Qui-Gon, noticing his apprentices lack of attention, had asked if he and Emperor Tobruk could continue the conversation tomorrow as he and Obi-Wan were tired from their long journey. The emperor had agreed and then Oyclah led them to the space which was to be their quarters.

"It is the room best suited for your... uh... your... your..." Oyclah had tried to explain.

"Height." finished Qui-Gon observing the higher ceilings. They weren't high enough that Qui-Gon could do jumping jacks, but there was breathing room. And the double doors made it a little more accessable.

The room wasn't furnished and had lines outlining the floor. Obi-Wan believed it to be some sort of exercise room.

Qui-Gon gave Oyclah the cue to leave. "Thank-you, Oyclah. I'm sure it will be fine."

And now the two Jedi were sitting here trying to make the most of each other's company and catch up on the day's activities and what feelings they had brought each other.

"Well," Obi-Wan tried to explain, "I was very tired and I don't think the Chulak sat well in my stomach."

Qui-Gon smiled at that remark. Obi-Wan had a stomach made of stone. He knew that was not the only reason.

"And..." Qui-Gon prodded.

Obi-Wan knew very well that a padawan was not supposed to keep anything a secret from his Master. Then why was this so hard to tell him?

"And... I... I felt stupid. I was embarrassed. Every time I opened my mouth, something stupid came out. I figured if I just kept my mouth shut, I would avoid making another silly mistake."

"Obi-Wan, we all make mistakes. The problem which faces us, is rising above them and accepting them. The first step to acceptance is admitting that a mistake was made and then taking responsibility for it. After that, it doesn't matter anymore."

Qui-Gon unrolled his sleep matress and arranged his bed as did Obi-Wan. They crawled between their covers and settled down to sleep.

//Will I ever be able to be like him?// Obi-Wan thought. He admired his Master and yet something in him cried out in defiance over the smallest things. He knew he didn't want to go through a probationary period again, but did he want to follow all the rules?

Obi-Wan shut his eyes and allowed sleep to consume him. The occupant of the sleep matress next to him, however, stayed awake for a few hours longer wondering how he would ever be able to completely trust his snoring companion again.

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That's it for now. The parachute might not come into play for a while. I'm writing it as I go and it seems like I keep getting further and further away from the ending, although I know exactly where I'll end up.

Here's another post to satisfy your curiosities until I can write a longer one.

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Qui-Gon sat silently meditating early in the morning. He had thought to wake Obi-Wan, but had decided against it. He needed the time to think on his own and decide what they should do today. He thought it would be a good idea to walk around the city today and talk to the people who lived there.

Qui-Gon stood and walked over to Obi-Wan. He gently touched his shoulder and watched as Obi-Wan groaned and grunted and eventually rolled over.

"Obi-Wan," said Qui-Gon softly, "You must get up." Then an idea suddenly popped into Qui-Gon's head, "Obi-Wan, there's fresh fruit and muffins!"

Obi-Wan immediately perked up as any boy his age would at the mention of food. His eyes quickly scanned the room to find it completely empty of any form of nourishment.

Obi-Wan looked up at his Master. "Very funny!" he said.

Just then there was a quiet knock at the door.

"Come in." said Qui-Gon.

The door swung open and a tray, then a foot, and then a head, popped into the room. It was the Chrestarian servant girl that had brought them their dinner of Chulak last night. Obi-Wan hoped that she had brought something more interesting.

"Good morning. I have brought you some breakfast."

"Thank you." Qui-Gon replied as he went to take the tray from her.

"I brought you some fresh fruit and muffins," Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon smiled at each other at the little joke which had been made earlier. "I hope this will be more to your liking." she said as she glanced at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan blushed. Obviously he wasn't as discreet as he had wanted to be yesterday.

"I'm sure it will be fine." replied Qui-Gon.

The girl left the room more at ease. Qui-Gon had sensed her fear when she had entered the room. He wondered if they would get the same reception elsewhere.

Sorry it's been so long guys! Grad's coming up and I've been busy. I also just found out that one of my best friends is sick so I haven't had much time to write between it all. I'll see how much I can type now.

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"All right, Obi-Wan. We'll meet back here tonight. I don't know how long I'll be gone for because I want to talk to as many people as possible." Qui-Gon explained to his young apprentice. They had decided that Qui-Gon would observe and question the civilians while Obi-Wan talked to the people in the "palace".

"Yes, Master."

"I have my comlink if you need me. I've set the frequency on both of ours."

"Yes, Master. I shall await your return." Obi-Wan said smiling.

"Remember to talk to everyone. Even the smallest character in a play plays a huge part in the productions success."

"Yes, Master. I will."

"All right, then. See you tonight."

Qui-Gon left the palace and Obi-Wan watched as his cloak faded into the shadows of the alley. He was reminded of the lizard-like creatures on a planet he had heard of once that could camoflauge themselves to match their surroundings to hide from predators.

Obi-Wan shut the palace door and turned around to have Oyclah almost run into him.

"Oyclah! What are you doing?!"

"Has he gone? We had wanted you to stay in the palace until after..." Oyclah stopped abruptly. "I mean... Emperor Tobruk had wanted to speak with him this morning... continuing their conversation from last night."

"Well, he'll have to wait until this evening."

"What time?"

"I don't know. Qui-Gon didn't give me the exact time of his return. He'll be back later. He wanted to talk with the civilians."

"They will not talk to him." Oyclah said.

"And why is that?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"I'm sorry. I must go." Oyclah said as he ran off down the corridor.

Obi-Wan was worried. Why would the people not talk to Qui-Gon? Maybe it was the same reason that the servant girl was afraid of them. He would have to seek her out and ask her. Whoever she was...

Obi-Wan walked down the corridor hoping to find someone who could direct him to the kitchen. He hoped to find her there or at least someone who could tell him where to find her. If that didn't work, he could always find himself something for a morning snack.

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I know it's short, but that's all I got for now. I'm out of time. Talk to y'all later.